If you’d of asked me when I was 20 about buying a sports bra, I wouldn’t know, nor would I care what it was like. Now, I’m 34 and all about selecting the right one. If you have an ill-fitting sports bra or heaven forbid, unsupportive, it can severely impact both your workout and your chest.

I’m a 32DD and tend to do a lot of high-impact exercises, from HIIT sessions to running to LES Mills Body Attack. Essentially, lots of jumping about and all kinds of sweaty. If I have a stretchy lycra style sports bra on, one you’d probably find in your local high street chain, boy, will you feel it?!

Another issue is that time of the month and exercise, I’ve literally stopped all exercise or even doubled up on sports bras to give me the support I need. Bad, isn’t it? So I’ve been vigorously testing to find my favourite sports bras and decided to break down what sort you need for your workout.

What types of sports bras are there?

• Low Impact – Yoga, dog walking
• Medium Impact – snowboarding/skiing and easy hikes
• High Impact – HITT sessions, aerobics, running

Low Impact Sports Bra

• Any high street – Low impact sports bras are really easy to find on the high street. Essentially they tend to be a stretchy crop top so places like Primark will be selling some fun colourful ones for £5-8. If you’re looking for something a bit more technical had over to Sport Direct or Decathlon. If you’re happy to spend a bit more both Nike and USA Pro make theirs with higher quality fabric meaning even though it isn’t for a high impact activity, you’re still very much supported.

Medium Impact Sports Bra

• Reebok or RBX – You’ll find that the medium impact sports bras will have a bit of padding. I got two fantastic sports bras from TKMAXX, the RBX one is my favourite as it has a zip front that locks and works perfect for me when I go for a cycle or on a hike. It isn’t restrictive and it’s very breathable. So for medium impact I’d suggest ones that have that extra bit of padding to support you as you’ll naturally become more active.

High Impact Sports Bra

• Dorina – This sports bra was from a company I’d heard of but hadn’t ever tried. This has been my ‘go-to’ especially when that monthly mayhem has kicked in. It was easy to get on and fixed on the back. It had padding inside, but padding that felt more comforting than anything else. IThis one was very supportive without making you feel like you couldn’t breathe. I have used this as my must wear for any high impact class or run I’ve been on. You’ll need both padding, breathable fabric and ideally some sort of clasp fastening. You need to feel secure. You’ll know you have the right sports bra when you don’t even think about how your chest feels!